6 months

Baby Girl is 6 months old.

Wow, how time flies by.

What is her life like as a sixth month old?

She is still our smiley girl, but reserves most all of her smiles for her mommy and daddy and people she knows. When strangers say 'hi' to her while out shopping she typically just looks at them with a serious face like she is trying to figure out why they are talking to her.

I caught her holding hands with Daddy when we got to the doctor's office, but I told her it was okay because I like to hold his hand too!

We went to her 6 month well-visit and she got more immunizations, the seasonal flu, and the H1N1 flu shot. Her recovery time (aka. length of screaming and crying!) at the doctor was noticeably shorter than the last few visits. She must be getting braver in her old age! She weighs 18.8 lbs (90th percentile), is 27 inches long (still off the charts) and her head measures 42 inches (50th percentile).

Sitting up like a big girl while waiting on the doctor.

She nurses 4 times a day now (every 4 hours between wake up and bedtime) and eats puree fruits/veggies and oatmeal in the morning and in the evening. She LOVES to eat and hasn't turned down anything new that I have offered. She drinks undiluted pear juice (per the doctors orders for her constipation) or water from her sippy cup and loves it. I am not sure why she hated the bottle so much considering how well she is doing with the sippy cup. She has even taken breast milk from it a time or two, so we may explore that option more in the future!!

She rolls over very well now and does it frequently. She even rolls over while getting her diaper changed when we do it on the floor. She is one wiggly little girl! Tonight I even found her under the coffee table!She picks up pretty much anything she wants and can manipulate toys with her hands well. Her favorite toys are ones she can get into her mouth, ones that make noise, and things that light up. She requires support to sit up, but I am looking forward to the day where she can sit on her own. I just feel bad always having to lay her down on the floor. Life must get rather boring when your always on your back or belly! She does like to sit in her Bumbo though. She also still loves her exersaucer and jumparoo.

Her sleeping habits continue on the same pattern although our nights without wake-ups are more frequent, which is wonderful! is great to put her down at 7:30 and not hear a peep from her until 7ish the next morning! It is a nice break for me. When she does wake at night we are working to settle her without feeding her. Those feedings are more of habit rather than need, and we are working to break that habit slowly but surely, but that doesn't always work. I think after we are done traveling this next week we will really work at it. However, in regards to sleeping I have made major headway on her putting herself to sleep!! Praise God! We go through the same routine prior to each nap and/or bedtime and I lay her in her crib sleepy but still awake. About 70% of the time she then goes to sleep on her own. Sometimes she plays a bit, other times she cries a bit, and other times she just simply drifts off to sleep! It has taken consistency and determination, but I feel that we are definitely making progress.

Her language development is still random consonant and vowel sounds. I haven't picked up on any combinations (e.g., 'ma ma') yet, but I am listening hard! The speech pathologist in me can't help but continually analyze her vocalizations! I am introducing sign language to her as well in simple words and songs, which is fun. I like that my education is making a difference in my own child's life. I haven't signed in a long while and I have enjoyed doing it more. It is amazing how quickly it has come back!

I am avoiding packing by writing all of this, so I need to get refocused on the task at hand! We leave for Indiana tomorrow and I have so much still to do!!!!!!